Shielded-hinge toilet seat construction



Aug. 8, 1967 R. E. WATSON SHIELDED-HINGE'TOILET SEAT CONSTRUCTION Filed June 7, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGI FIG. 5 38 W//////fl//////Wfl/////////////d 5' a INVENTOR 1 ROBERT E. WATSON 44 g A I ATTORNEYS Aug. 8, 1967 R. E. WATSON I 3,334,361

SHIELDED-HINGE TOILET SEAT CONSTRUCTION Filed June v, 1965 v 2 ShetS-Sheet 2 FIG.6

INVENTOR 2h ROBERT E. WATSON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,334,361 SHIELDED-HINGE TOILET SEAT CONSTRUCTION Robert E. Watson, Farmington, Mich., assignor to Swedish Crucible Steel Company, Detroit, Mich.,

a corporation of Michigan Filed June 7, 1965, Ser. No. 461,724 8 Claims. (Cl. 4-236) This invention relates to plumbing fixtures and, in particular, to toilet seats.

Hitherto, the rearward portions of toilet seats, such as the hinge posts, hinge leaves and hinge pins or pintles, have been fully exposed, with a result that the metal parts have been subject to serious corrosion and accumulation of dirt and foreign matter, as well as being difiicult to clean because of the many exposed parts involved and because of the varying shapes of the hinge posts, hinge leaves and the other adjacent and associated parts. These parts, moreover, are unsightly, even when newly mounted, and are much more so when covered with dirt, grime and verdigris from corroded metal. Moreover, most prior toilet seats are not held in their open or raised positions by any positive stops other than the toilet tank or the flush valve. The present invention eliminates these disadvantages by providing an improved toilet seat having a cover with a rearwardly-extending and undercut portion which not only shields much of the hinge mechanism from the deposit of dirt or corrosive liquids but also serves as a stop for holding the cover and also the seat, if desired, in a raised position at a constant angle.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a shielded-hinge toilet seat construction having a cover with a rearwardly-extending undercut portion which in the lowered position of the cover conceals much of the hinge post mechanism and in the raised position extends over and conceals almost all of the hinge mechanism so as to prevent the deposition of dirt and grime or corrosive liquid.

Another object is to provide a shielded-hinge toilet seat construction of the foregoing character wherein the rearwardly-extending cover portion overhangs the hinge mechanism in such a manner that when the cover is fully raised it assumes a rearwardly-inclined position with the edge of the rearwardly-extending portion engaging the upper surfaces of the hinge posts as a positive stop.

Another object is to provide a shielded-hinge toilet seat construction of the foregoing character wherein the cover and adjacent portions of the toilet seat are smooth, substantially free from projections and consequently easy to clean.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a shielded-hinge toilet seat construction having a shielding stop cover according to one form of the invention, with the cover in its lowered position;

FIGURE 2 is a central vertical section taken along the line 2--2 in FIGURE 1, with the toilet bowl mainly in side elevation;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevation of the toilet seat construction shown in FIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary central vertical section similar to FIGURE 2, but with the seat in its lowered position while the cover is in its fully raised position;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section, mainly in top plan view, taken along the line 5-5 in FIG- URE 4; and

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FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary central vertical section similar to FIGURE 4, but with the seat and cover in their fully raised positions.

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 show a shielded-hinge toilet seat construction or unit, generally designated 10, according to one form of the present invention as consisting generally of a pair of hinge posts 14 which pivotally support a toilet seat 16 and a toilet seat cover 18 upon a toilet bowl 20 having a rearwardly-extending shelf, flange or platform portion 22 with laterally-spaced vertical bores or holes 24 receiving the hinge posts 14. The toilet bowl 20 has the usual substantially flat top surface 26 extending at 28 over the top of the rearward flange or shelf 22.

Each hinge post 14 includes an upwardly and forwardly-inclined bracket arm 30 in the base 32 of which is embedded a threaded stud 34 of metal, such as brass. It will be understood, however, that it is both feasible and practical to form the hinge posts 14 of synthetic plastic, such as nylon, wherein the threaded shanks 34 are integral with the bracket arms 30. The shanks 34 of the hinge posts 14 extend downwardly through the toilet bowl shelf holes 24 and are held firmly in place by washers 36 and nuts 38 threaded on their lower ends. Mounted on and extending horizontally outward from the upper end portions of the bracket arms 30 are hinge pins 40. As in the case of the shanks 34, the hinge pins 40 may either be of metal, such as brass, embedded in the upper ends of the hinge post bracket arms 30, or they may be molded integral therewith from suitable synthetic plastic material, 'such as nylon. The bracket arms 30 have substan tially flat upwardly and forwardly-inclined upper stop surfaces 41.

The toilet seat 16 at its rearward end is provided with an approximately cylindrical recess 42 of arcuate crosssection (FIGURES 2, 4 and 6) having upwardly and rearwardly-projecting lugs 44 at its opposite end. Extending inwardly from the inner faces 46 of the lugs 44 are horizontal aligned bores 48 (FIGURE 3) which pivotally receive the outer ends of the hinge pins 40. The cover 18 along its lower edge 50 is provided with a downwardly-projecting hollow approximately cylindrical boss 52 having an outer cylindrical surface 54 of substantially the same radius of curvature as the recess 42 so as to mate therewith. The boss 52 and the rearwardly-extending cover portion 53 above it have a common concave inner or rearward surface 56 which receives the upper ends of the hinge bracket arms 30 and provides clearance for the latter (FIGURES 2, 4 and 6).

The rearward upper stop edge 58 of the rearwardlyextending portion 53 of the cover 18 at its junction with the recess 56 is so positioned that it engages the inclined upper stop surface 41 when the cover 18 is in its fully raised position (FIGURES 4 and 6) in an upwardly and rearwardly-inclined direction. This construction provides a positive stop arrangement for the cover 18 without requiring the toilet tank or flush valve to serve that purpose, a practice in prior toilet seats which frequently has resulted in indentation and consequent disfigurement of the upper surface 60 of the cover. The lower surface 62 of the cover 18 is provided with cushioned dome stops 64 which are engaged by the upper surface 66 of the toilet seat 16 when the latter is in its raised position (FIGURE 6). Similarly, the lower surface 68 of the toilet seat 16 is provided with cushioned stops 70 which rest upon the upper surface 26 of the toilet bowl 20 in the lowered position of the toilet seat 16.

In the operation of the invention, let it be assumed that the shielded-hinge toilet seat unit 10 has been mounted in the manner shown in FIGURES 1 and 3. When the seat 10 is in its position of non-use shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, there is little chance of deposit of dirt and none whatever of corrosive liquids, hence the construction of the present invention provides adequate protection in this respect. When the cover 18 is raised to its position shown in FIGURE 4, or the cover 18 and seat 16 both raised, as shown in FIGURE 6, the construction provided by the present invention provides complete shielding of the hinge posts 14 and their associated parts because the hollow boss 52 and the rearwardly-projecting portion 53 of the cover 18 move rearwardly over these parts as shown in FIGURES 4, and 6. Moreover, such cleaning as is necessary is easily carried out by the custodian while the seat 16 is in its lowered position and the cover 18 in its raised position as shown in FIGURE 5, because of the smooth continuous surfaces of these members, without any considerable grooves, cracks or recesses in which foreign matter can lie. As previously stated, the edge 58 on the rearwardly-projecting portion 53 of the cover 18 engages the inclined upper surfaces 60 of the bracket arms 30 of the hinge post 14 to hold the cover 18 (FIGURE 4) or the cover 18 and seat 16 (FIGURE 6) at a constant angle of inclination in their raised positions.

What I claim is:

1. A shielded-hinge toilet seat construction, comprising a pair of toilet seat hinge posts having bracket arms with hinge pins therein projecting laterally outward therefrom in coaxial relationship,

a toilet seat having a rearward end portion containing an upwardly-facing elongated recess therein having opposite end Walls with coaxial sockets therein,

and a toilet seat cover having adjacent the rearward end thereof an elongated downwardly-extending hollow projection disposed within said recess in mating engagement therewith and having opposite end walls disposed adjacent said recess end walls and also having coaxial bores therein aligned with said sockets;

said hinge posts being disposed within said hollow projection inwardly of said projection end walls with said hinge pins extending through said bores into said sockets.

2. A shielded-hinge toilet seat construction, according to claim 1, wherein said elongated projection has an elongated cavity therein extending between the opposite end walls thereof and wherein the upper ends of said bracket arms are disposed within said cavity.

3. A shielded-hinge toilet seat construction, according to claim 1, wherein said recess and said projection have approximately cylindrical concave and convex mating surfaces respectively.

4. A shielded-hinge tiolet seat construction, according to claim 1, wherein said recess end walls include lugs projecting upwardly from said rearward end portions of said seat.

5. A shielded-hinge toilet seat construction, according to claim 1, wherein said hollow projection includes an elongated downwardly-extending convexo-concave boss.

6. A shielded-hinge toilet seat construction, according to claim 1, wherein said bracket arms are inclined upwardly and forwardly toward said toilet seat.

7. A shielded-hinge toilet seat construction, according to claim 1, wherein said hollow projection has a rearward edge engageable with the upper surfaces of said bracket arms in a raised and rearwardly-inclined position of said cover.

8. A shielded-hinge toilet seat construction, according to claim 1, wherein said hollow projection has a rearward edge portion which in the lowered position of said cover overhangs said hinge pins in shielding relationship therewith.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 893,347 4/ 1962 Great Britain. 922,795 4/ 1963 Great Britain. 199,748 2/1965 Sweden.

LAV-ERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. I. GROSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SHIELEDED-HINGE TOILET SEAT CONSTRUCTION, COMPRISING A PAIR OF TOILET SEAT HING POSTS HAVING BRACKET ARMS WITH HINGE PINS THEREIN PROJECTING LATERALLY OUTWARD THEREFROM IN COAXIAL RELATIONSHIP, A TOILET SEAT HAVING A REARWARD END PORTION CONTAINING AN UPWARDLY-FACING ELONGATED RECESS THEREIN HAVIN OPPOSITE END WALLS WITH COAXIAL SOCKETS THEREIN, AND A TOILET SEAT COVER HAVING ADJACENT THE REARWARD END THEREOF AN ELONGATED DOWNWARDLY-EXTENDING HOLLOW PROJECTION DISPOSED WITHIN SAID RECESS IN MATING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH AND HAVING OPPOSITE END WALLS DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID RECESS END WALLS AND ALSO HAVING COAXIAL BORES THEREIN ALIGNED WITH SAID SOCKETS; SAID HINGE POSTS BEING DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOLLOW PROJECTION INWARDLY OF SAID PROJECTION END WALLS WITH SAID HINGE PINS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID BORES INTO SAID SOCKETS. 